Many hypotheses but no answers

Aug 15, 2020

It is two weeks since the explosions that devastated the port and a large part of Beirut, yet there is still no news on the results of the official investigation that was launched on August 5. Authorities promised that the results would be published after five days.

The deflagration caused more than 220 deaths, 110 missing and over 6,000 injured. Besides these, hundreds of thousands have been left homeless, now housed in private homes, convents or mosques. The victims include many foreign workers and truck drivers operating at the port.

Many suspect that the explosion which involved 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a depot in the port near an area with a high population density, was the result of negligence. So far, the government has placed those responsible for the port and customs under house arrest and has transferred responsibility for the trial to the Court of Justice of the Republic, a court from which there is no appeal.

It is known that the massive amount of ammonium nitrate — which is used both as fertiliser and as an explosive — entered Beirut in 2014. On July 20, 2020, the state security services warned about the danger of the storage and instructions were given to find a safer accommodation. Less than three weeks later, the tragedy occurred.

The day after the explosions, President Michel Aoun did not rule out that the explosions were triggered by a missile or a bomb. But he made it clear that this is a hypothesis and is yet to be verified.

The thesis of state neglect is reinforced by a report in the New York Times that revealed that four years ago, a consultant who worked for the US military had expressed concerns about the deposit. A US security expert then issued a warning to the Lebanese authorities during an inspection of the port of Beirut.

The US embassy in Lebanon published an archival document on August 7 proving these communications to the Lebanese government.

Now the US embassy is receiving criticism from many diplomatic representations in Beirut for keeping silent about this danger. There were also foreign employees and diplomatic personnel among the victims of the explosion.

On the other hand, the hypothesis launched by the US embassy to the effect that an arms depot caused the explosions that Hezbollah kept close to the ammonium nitrate warehouse does not seem to have taken hold. Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah vehemently denied that his group had “arms or ammunition depots in the port”.

Regardless, for the inhabitants of Beirut, who see Lebanon falling apart, everyone is guilty. On Aug 11, in a gathering of hundreds of people in Martyrs Square, a memorial was held for the victims of the explosion, and once again, the rite of hanging mannequins representing all the Lebanese political leaders was held.

In a televised message on August 11, the government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab stepped down en masse. The decision was made after days of violent demonstrations following the explosions in Beirut port.

Demonstrators blamed the country’s leaders, their negligence and corruption, as the factors responsible for the explosions. 

In his speech, he defended the good work of his government, but also said that corruption in the country was “a wall fortified by a class that is resorting to all dirty methods in order to resist and preserve its gains”. ––Asia News